44. camelids - neonatal medicine

normal llama / alpaca gestation length

335-360 days (mean ~340d)

• < 325d considered premature

normal behavior of healthy newborn crias

• quickly attempts sternal recumbency

• born with extra fetal membrane over them → does not need intervention to remove

• brief period of open-mouth breathing, but are obligate nasal breathers within a few minutes

• stand within an hour

• nursing by 2 hrs; multiple times per hour, up to 3-4 mins at a time

when is administering colostrum appropriate?

~3-4 hrs if not suckling

how much colostrum should be administered?

• milk dam and give llama 4-6 oz or alpaca 3-5 oz per feeding

  • feed at least 10% BW per day in 5-7 feedings

  • ideally first meal by 2 hrs if suspect problem; all by 12 hrs

• cow, sheep, or goat colostrum may be used — use biosecure source

plasma administration

• IV — gold standard, but need catheter

• IP — popular in field

• (feed: volume & timing problem)

how is passive transfer evaluated?

measure serum IgG at 1-3 days old: RID for camelids, triple J RID

• goal is > 800 mg/dL (give plasma if under)

healthy newborn cria — weight

important — make sure owners obtain this!

• alpaca: at least 5.5 kg

  • (avg. 7 kg, 15.4 lbs)

• llama: at least 7 kg

  • (avg ≥ 9 kg, ≥ 20 lbs)

• low birth weight → problem

• after initial weight loss (normal to ↓ in first 24 hr), cria should gain 0.25-0.5 kg BW daily

  • if not, there’s a problem

    • dam’s milk production

    • cria’s health

septicemia / sepsis in crias — clinical signs

• vague, non-localizing signs (difficult to identify early in disease)

  • not nursing, weak, ± recumbent

• persisten techycardia, tachypnea

• often afebrile ± hypothermic — temp not reliable

• ± petechiation of ear or membranes

• hypovolemia hard to estimate

underestimate extent of illness → sicker than they look

signs of clinical prematurity / dysmaturity

• low birth weight

• tendon laxity

• floppy ears

• incisors not erupted

prematurity / dysmaturity — clinical challenges

• weakness

  • inability to nurse

    • failure of passive transfer

    • aspiration pneumonia

    • high risk of sepsis

  • hypoglycemia (and rebound hyperglycemia — high fluctuations)

  • hypothermia

  • pulmonary maturation

    • incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome low compared to foals & cows

choanal atresia — clinical signs

• distress, open-mouth breathing

• puffing cheeks as breath

• nasal flare

• ↓ airflow through one / both nostrils

• hypoxemia → collapse

• can’t nurse & breathe at same time

  • starvation

  • aspirate milk → pneumonia, sepsis

  • aerophagia

• incomplete or unilateral disease may have delayed recognition

physiologic congenital heart murmurs

• PDA murmur resolves in 1st week

  • (grade I-II/VI, left heart base)

• innocent murmurs ± persist 8-12 wks

  • < III/VI but decrease in intensity with age

• physiologic peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis, especially premature crias

• effects of hypovolemia or anemia

when is further investigation of a murmur indicated? what are common congenital cardiac defects?

• accompanied by clinical signs of heart disease — persistent tachycardia, exercise intolerance, cyanosis, etc.

• higher grade (III/VI or more)

• associated with ill thrift

• complex defects more common: VSD, ASD, etc.